Monday, October 31, 2016

At our cottage in Maine, we have continued the biophilic theme by installing one of our mural papers in a bedroom. It is a scenic mural originally painted by Lena in Lincolnshire, UK, depicting the fresco "Villa of Livia" (Circa. 30-20 BCE) housed at the Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome, Italy.

Here is a link to my 18 second video of the finished installation.

We flew to UK and I photographed the painting in detail, stitching together many hundred photos into the final wallpaper mural measuring 28’ 6” long and repeating from the right edge onto the left. The entire mural is delivered on 15 - 24” drops.

Original Mural in Lincolnshire, UK conservatory.

While we were installing the mural in the bedroom we had the fabulous people of Stone Surface Granite & Marble, Bridgton, ME, installing new counter tops in the bathroom and kitchen. Most of the stone was a gift from our generous friend and client Lisa Cunningham of Warner - Cunningham (Chestnut Hill, MA). It was removed from a remodel project in Brookline, MA. Every time either Lena or I wash a dish, we relish our new farm sink.

Also new at our Crystal Lake getaway is another wallpaper installation where we bring the outdoors - in. It started in the driveway a few years ago. While raking one fall day, I looked down and noticed that the worms had created a fine tracery pattern on most of the leaves. I got a few old books and started gathering and placing them between the pages to flatten and dry. Months later I took them out of the books and photographed them, turning them into a variety of leaf patterns. The color of the leaves is perfect with the pine paneling in the house and the slight opposing color in the background really brings out the warm hue. It seems quite fitting that the wallpaper was created, using leaves collected just outside the door.

Lena's grandfather, Thomas Adrian Fransioli, an artist of some note, painted and glued the shells on this piece in the hall.

We can deliver “Fall Leaves” on any background color. The size and color of the leaves is also customizable.

We have two bedrooms and the living room remaining as open pallets for our wallpapers, finishes or murals. Because I want to keep to the theme of bringing the outdoors in, we are planning wall coverings.

We are thinking of using “Passion Flower” in the master bedroom. This pattern was created from a fragment of historic Swedish wallpaper.

And for the kids bedroom we are installing “Cherry Blossom”. I envisioned the blossoms floating down with a beautiful sky background but Lena thinks the small, cut up nature of the room requires something less complicated and requested a simple greenish blue ground. I was inspired to create the Cherry Blossom pattern during a client meeting, in a Washington, D.C. back yard during the height of “cherry blossom season”. I was enchanted by petals floating down into our portfolio. We were brushing out dried flowers for months.

I will post more when we have finished the next two rooms. Thanks for your support.